I thought that's what your unit was up to. Sly old dog...

I took one for the team...and rather enjoyed it

I have more pity than scorn. Most people are trained to think of themselves as non-entities and they dress (and behave) as such.

I also pity the boys outside on this hot, sunny day wearing black polos and the like. Why would anyone do this?

+1 for making "Dymynysyng" the now widely accepted Welsh spelling of "diminishing",at least in his forum ,

I have parted with 35% of my shirts and ties.

It was simply too much.

Much better.

It was like pruning a tree. Or like an overdue enema.

"you need a vast delta of ties in all styles, fabrics and colours to make it to the top of this sartorial world"
???

But who "has" to make it "to the top of this sartorial world"?

Assuming one is working in a more or less traditional "office" environment, 5 white shirts and 5 light blue ones (3 of them bengals, 2 plain) should be enough. On weekends, nicely aged tattersall and oxford button-downs.

10 Hermes and/or Ferragamo ties, in various shades of red and blue; plus one in yellow, orange and green each. No brown.
1 black (can also be Hermes)

4 OTR but customized (for fit) suits - 2 navy, 1 mid-grey, 1 charcoal. All in 2 button single-breasted

3-4 linen hankerchiefs.

3 very good (=fit, not brand) pairs of black cao-toe oxfords.
1 pair dark brown oxford or derby
1 pair of loafers
2-3 pairs of weekend shoes (timberland boat shoes, rugged boots, suede sneakers)

1 versatile overcoat (for me: fawn covert coat w/out velvet)
1 "casual overcoat" - quilted jacked, or something quirky from hackett

1 "Blazer" unstructured, no brass buttons
2-3 casual trousers, 1 khaki chino, 1 dark blue denim, 1 corduroy

nice cufflinks which will age well (= 18k gold with crest, or something from Hermes, Sir Winston Churchills Flem spoon. etc, ideally a gift from wife/fiance)
one very very good watch, extremely timeless (patek calatrava without(!) hobnail bezel, e.g. 5196, or VC Patrimony) in white gold or yellow

1 "official" briefcase in tan leather which will age well (= papworth, SAB )
1 "Casual" bag which is still ok in a business context (Filson/Chapman)

Done.
DONE.


Actually, this is how I "roll", although i need to de-hermes-tox a bit and also I have more than 1 watch.

I know that this kit will not be approved by "sartorialists" and Igents - lack of MTM, lack of "creativity", too many "obvious brands" (=companies that get it right), no "artisans"

But I dont care.

And it took a loooooong time for me to find out that these essentials are what I need, and nothing else. No peacocking for me. Simple genius stuff which someone else invented a long time ago. Let my stuff be a canvas for my personality, not the other way around.

Enough now, need to have ANOTHER DRINK

P.S.: "When in doubt, DE-IVY your outfit".
P.P.S: No, wearing a hat is not "normal" nowadays. Stop pretending you dont notice people staring at you. That is why you are wearing a hat.

CODA: And, no, you dont need ties in any other fabric than silk, and plain twill will do. Noone gives a damn, unless you want to be the guy with the funny tie ("But on AAAC they said on weekends a proper British Lord wears a knitted wool tie with a square end").

REMEMBER: DONT BE WILL BOELKE / FRAISIER CRANE. No trenchcoat (pervert), hat (library inspector), tweed suit (1930ies pervert), leather jacket (Frankie goes to Hollywood pervert), Plus-Fours (Tin-Tin pervert), Pipe (oral fixation), beard (Al-Quaida pervert) or pinstripes (Wolf of Wallstreet pervert).

Last edited by Beestonplace (2015-08-31 13:54:07)

A timeless watch seems as useful as a chocolate teapot.